Legislative Report
Wisconsin Locals Lobby Legislators
Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall recently said that when he was serving during the Carter Administration, if Labor and management from any particular sector came to him with a proposal that they had agreed upon, he would generally go along with it, even if he thought it was a bad idea. If it was the product of a labor-management partnership, he reasoned, they must know what they are doing, and it is likely very important. When Labor and management come together on issues that affect the future of their industry, cabinet members take notice.
Lawmakers are no different. And Wisconsin’s state and federal representatives have actually come to expect labor-management partnerships, at least when it comes to the people who are employed by the transit systems in “America’s Dairyland.”
ATU represents more than 2,000 workers in all corners of Wisconsin, from the large urban center of Milwaukee (Local 998) to the smaller cities of LaCrosse (519), Green Bay (857), Wausau (1168) and Eau Claire (1310). Together, the local union representatives from these areas have turned the state’s Legislative Conference Board into one of the ATU’s most active boards in the country. A key factor in the board’s success has been the partnership that it has developed with the Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transit Association (WURTA), a management organization which represents 28 urban and rural bus systems, 43 shared-ride taxi systems and 24 associate and affiliate members in the state. |
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Wisconsin ATU and WURTA representatives are seen here meeting with Sen. Herb Kohl, D-WI, at his office in Washington, DC. In the front row, from left, are Pat Swanhorst, ATU spouse; Legislative Conference Chair Dale Anderson, 519-La Crosse, WI; WUTRA Legislative Committee Chair Gwen Larson, Eau Claire; Rita Anderson, ATU spouse; Anita Gulotta-Connelly, WURTA-Milwaukee; Kohl; Betty Kane, ATU spouse; Lynn Gilles, WURTA-Fond du Lac; and Dan Kane, 519. In the second row, from left, are Chuck Kamp, WURTA-Madison; Philip Swanhorst, 1310-Eau Claire, WI; Mark Jones, WURTA- Neilsville; Greg Seubert, WURTA-Wausau; Kent Conklin, WURTA-Menomonie Falls; City Manager Steven Sheiffer, Janesville; WURTA Legislative Liaison Gary Goyke, Madison; Deborah Wetter, WURTA-Appleton; and WURTA Chair Dave Mumma, Janesville. |
Lobbying Together
Twice a year, ATU and WURTA representatives travel to Washington, DC, to participate in joint labor-management meetings with members of the state’s congressional delegation. Together they lobby for the highest possible level of funding for public transportation, both in Wisconsin and at the national level. They also urge lawmakers to provide maximum flexibility in the use of federal transit funds so that transit systems can be free to dedicate resources in a way that most benefits their communities.
According to Conference Board President Dale Anderson, president of Local 519, “the partnership works very well because we all have the same ultimate goals. Better funding leads to better working conditions and equipment.” And, Anderson says, expanded service leads to more members.
Chuck Camp, general manager at Metro Transit in Madison says that “the link between transit labor and management in Wisconsin has helped improve the impact our message has with state and federal legislators on the importance of stable funding for public transportation in our state. Our legislators tell us how much they appreciate the work we do to deliver a consistent message, as it removes the possibility that they are caught in the middle with competing or conflicting messages,” he says.
At the state level, Wisconsin legislators are currently engaged in a debate over the creation of regional transit authorities, which could potentially increase local control and stabilize transit funding to more effectively serve communities. And, as is the case in most states, transit advocates are calling on lawmakers to raise the percentage of transit operating expenses funded by state assistance. These decisionsare made in the state capital in Madison, where ATU and WURTA take time to visit state legislators and staff to explain financial concerns over the state’s operating assistance program. Each May, they gather in Madison for a coordinated day of lobbying.
“At the bargaining table we may occasionally ‘lock horns,’ says Local President Richard Riley, 998. “But in Washington and Madison, we ‘lock arms’ to try to get the state and federal funding levels that will help us serve our communities.”
Mutual Respect
Greg Seubert, transit director at Metro Ride in Wausau, agrees with Riley, noting that there will always be issues of disagreement between Labor and management. “But that should not prevent us from working together on issues of mutual interest such as funding. It is far more effective to meet with elected officials as a team, presenting a united message, than to oppose one another. This approach has not only been effective legislatively, it has helped us to better understand one another and we’ve established a mutual respect as a result,” he says. One key to the partnership has been the ability of both Labor and management to leave local disputes at home. “We never involve each other in conversations specific to problems in our home transit systems, such as grievances, contract negotiations, discipline, etc.,” says Anderson. “We check our egos at the door, and we treat each other as equal partners.”
Amazing Acheivements
This formula has led to some amazing achievements, including many state funding increases for transit, and most recently supplemental funding in 2008, and 2009, to help offset increases in fuel and other rising costs.
Another issue that most blue and white collar transit employees in Wisconsin can likely agree upon is the Green Bay Packers. And while Brett Favre may have recently retired, Wisconsin’s transit partnership is just getting started.
Like the soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback, ATU and WURTA hope to break all the records – in the areas of transit funding and ridership. Of course, Favre would never have achieved all of his milestones unless the Packers worked together as a team – a lesson that transit systems throughout Wisconsin learned many years ago. |
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